Informator
RSS Feed
Klikněte pro zvětšení obrázku.
Publikováno: So 24.09.2022
Region: Trutnovsko
Filip Vedral is an active hockey player, but wins titles in petanque
After two pétanque football players from Vrchlabí, today we have a pétanque hockey player Filip Vedral. As I have mentioned in previous interviews, Vrchlabí is simply alive with sport. Filip has been registered in ČAPEK since 2015, just like Michal Zdobinský Jr. and Jakub Srnský. To date, he has competed in a total of 95 tournaments on the schedule. Unsurprisingly, he has the most tournaments this year and last year. He is currently ranked 34th in the rankings and there is every expectation that he will climb much higher. Of the boys national team, Filip is the most experienced player. He has gained experience in many junior, senior and international tournaments. Filip is the holder of five championship titles. In 2018,2019,2020 and 2022 he was a member of the junior championship team and in 2020 he contributed to winning the club championship of the Czech Republic. He has gained a lot of experience especially in the national and club jersey at international events. Filip has participated in one Junior European Championship, three Junior World Championships and once in the Eurocup, i.e. the Club European Championship. I think our boys' junior national team could not have asked for a better leader. Ivo Michálek from Brno invited him for an interview.
1. Filip, how did you get into pétanque? To whom do you owe the most for playing, being in the national team and what do you like most about pétanque?
I didn't get into pétanque by accident. My parents are long-time members of our club and have been playing pétanque for quite a few years. One (definitely) beautiful day they brought me to practice for Sklípek in Vrchlabí. (Now I think it was one of the most important days in my life.) The training was under the guidance of Dan Bílek and Martin Bartos, whom I would like to thank very much for everything they did for me and my pétanque career. During the training I liked pétanque so much that I started to play it regularly, I improved and after 4 years the results showed. At the age of 12, I first made it to the Czech national team, which I have been in without a break (except for the covid) ever since. I think what I love most about pétanque is the community, which is irreplaceable and which I have never had anywhere else in my life. Another thing that makes pétanque so fulfilling for me is that I don't have to plan my summers when I'm not playing hockey because I'm playing pétanque. I find the spring and fall challenging when I have to combine both sports, but so far I'm managing, so I'm happy beyond measure.
2. Which game and your performance so far do you value the most? Which game do you like to remember and why?
- There are many big matches in my mind. The match mentioned by Vojta and Martin in Spain on center court against the home team, 4 won finals of the Junior World Championships, many lost important matches in the knockout parts of the knockout competitions (not only in the juniors) and many matches in the championships. Every win and loss gets me somewhere and I can learn from it. But the match I cherish the most? I would say it was the match in France at the EuroCup last December. We played the last game in the regular group against a strong team from the Netherlands. I was the only one who saved us from an embarrassing 31-0 defeat. I managed to win the ones in a terribly long and difficult match. I played against a player named Wietse Van Keulen. I'm sure he wasn't a beginner, but I had the upper hand. At 12:10 I made a big mistake when I didn't block the path properly, so Wietse had a relatively easy way to close, but he only had a deuce by 2 millimeters. So I had the advantage of the last ball in the last throw. He gave a rather bad plas, I managed to overcome him three times, but he had only 2 shooting balls, which were not enough to finish the match. Right after I dropped my ball, I got very emotional. I was so proud of myself. I was so proud of myself that I could handle the nervousness, which was pretty good. Plus, it was the last game ever and there were a lot of people watching.
3. Who is your favourite teammate and who would you like to play with?
That's a very difficult question for me. I can't say one name, but if I had to pick my best teammates, I would say Vojta Bílek, Michal Zdobinský, Karolína Zdobinská and the current junior national team (Kuba Lukeš, Kuba Srnský and Dan Geisler). With them it's always a relaxing tournament, which I enjoy and sometimes there is a good success, which I will remember after some time. And the question of who I would like to play with is not much easier. I've had the privilege of playing with a few players I've wanted to play with, yet there are many wishes inside myself. But I'll say two names that really attract me. They are none other than Ivo Michalek and Petya Vavrovic Jr. From abroad I would probably mention Caroline Bourriaud, whom I have admired for many years, and the Monegasque Espoir representative Enzo Peréz.
4. If you could choose across time, who would you like to be?
I've never really thought about this, but off the top of my head this is probably how Dwayne Johnson comes to mind. I admire him so much. The way he lives, the way he looks... And I absolutely adore his acting. I've seen most of the movies he's been in and I just love him.
I think I'd like to be him. But that's just a fantasy. I guess you could say I'm happy with what life has given me and I'm looking forward to what else it has in store for me. I'm happy with who I am. I wouldn't change it.
5. What is your favorite movie character?
Since I am a lover of the Fast and Furious movie franchise, I will say Luke Hobbs, played by my beloved Dwayne Johnson.
6. What do you enjoy most and what is your favourite music?
I enjoy Czech cuisine the most, but I can't get enough of one particular dish. It's Krakonoš's fire. For those who don't know, it's pork in an onion and cream sauce served preferably with potato pancakes or fries. As for the music, I like to listen to POP, Rock and Rap.
7. What are you currently studying and what would you like to be?
I study at the Secondary School of Industry in Jičín, majoring in Information Technology. To confess, I don't know what I'm going to be and I don't even have a plan what I want to be yet. I will see what life offers me and what path I will choose. But I have one alternative. I've been playing hockey since I was a kid. Of course, I want to play it at the highest level, but I don't believe it's going to make me a living. Of course, two years ago, I took referee training. Since then I have been refereeing youth competitions all over the Hradec Králové region. To make matters worse, this year I got an offer from the parent club HC Vrchlabí to become the club's editor. Doing interviews, writing articles, introducing the teams before the games, post-match reviews, ... It's an interesting experience for me, which I won't miss in my life.
We have chosen for you
